In order to conduct research, you must first identify the group of people that you want to draw conclusions about. This group is commonly referred to as a population, and can be thought of in two separate ways: First, there is the target population, also called the universe, which consists of the entirety of the people you hope to draw conclusions about. Second, there is the accessible population, which is the portion of the target population that you are able to reach.
For Example…
If you were interested in studying how a shortage of childcare services affected single-parent households, your target population would be all single-parent households with children around the age when childcare programs are needed. However, you would not reasonably have access to this entire population. Therefore, your accessible population would be best limited to single-parent households with children who require childcare programs within a location of interest during a specific time period.
Hard to Reach Populations
Populations that are difficult to access are generally referred to as “hard to reach populations” populations. They often draw from vulnerable, disenfranchised, discriminated against, or stigmatized groups (Ellard-Gray et al., 2015). While social science research has become more inclusive over the years, groups such as women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and ethnic minorities are still relatively excluded. However, hard to reach populations are extremely important to research, because the fact that they are less well studied results in gaps in researchers’ understanding. When doing research concerning hard to reach populations, it is necessary to explain to your institution’s IRB why that particular population is necessary for your research. The IRB will be interested in how you plan to protect the population throughout the course of the research.
Personal Project
Before you learn how to sample, take a few minutes to define your population of interest. Who specifically do you need to reach with your interviews in order to answer your research question?
